Letterkunde (research)

Literature offers critique and provides creative answers to new and old questions. In this research-intensive programme, you will study literature as a cultural practice that is capable of (re)shaping the world. You will examine literary texts and literary culture from a transnational, theoretical and historical perspective. The programme rooted in cutting-edge literary studies research and the tools offered by this field. It explores the cultural relevance of metaphors, symbols, aesthetic experience, narrative and perspective. You will analyse how literature operates in society and investigate why meanings with particular social and political implications are attributed to literary texts. We focus on the dynamic cultural processes in which people negotiate key issues such as identity, morality, justice and belonging, and you will study how these processes produce new connections between different literatures and discourses. While the core courses provide a clear grounding in both literary theory and cultural history, the programme encourages you to set out your own research path. We offer a broad selection of electives and our tutorial set-up allows you to explore topics in-depth and in close collaboration with a small group of students and a Faculty member. The specialisation the programme provides makes for excellent preparation for a PhD trajectory upon graduation.